Throughout the mists of creation - Baiame, Great Spirit, maker of all things, had decided to light the skies with beautiful rainbows. When he sent the rains to quench the parched earth - a rainbow was born. Some were small rainbows in the mist above streams and some rose high in the skies to let the tribes know that he loved them and wanted them to see all the colours. A reminder to the tribes that he was a loving Creator.

The beautiful rainbow, controlled by the Rainbow Serpent, arced the skies with many colours, signifying the pact between Great Spirit and Yalunga, The Rainbow Serpent. Yalunga lived beneath the earth in a deep red lake. Yalunga's baanya, or camp, unlike any other, is deep within the lake itself. He can only come to the surface when the rains come, if he emerges during the dry, he will lose all his beautiful colours.

Yalunga opened his large eye and listened to the dripping water in his cave. Emerging from the red lake, sloughing off his old skin, he grinned at his beautiful colours. Diamond patterns filled with every colour of the rainbow that he, only he, could create for the tribes that lived on the desert plains of the Northern Territory.

"Hmm...I can hear the rain and the sounds of children playing in the billabong. Maybe I can catch me a fine, fat, dinner," Yalunga's forked tongue licked his wide lips. Slithering out of the red lake and making his way slowly towards the red dust plains, he listened to the children.

Karangi and Buranda were brothers from the Aranda tribe - both boys had disobeyed their parents and slipped away from their baanya to go in search of witchetty grubs - a treat found in the bark of the trees.

Yalunga's large head popped out into the pouring rain on the plains. As he rose up he created a large rainbow across the river. The boys were oblivious of the danger as Yalunga slithered towards them.

Karangi gasped as he saw the huge serpent grinning at him.
"Run!" Karangi pulled his little brother towards him and away from the beast.

Yalunga's deep voice reverberated around the high cliffs and could be heard above the rush of the waterfalls.

"Wait, I won't hurt you, I just want to talk to you," a sly grin came across his lips.

"No, you eat children," said Buranda.

Yalunga realised how lonely he was living in his red lake. He was hungry as he had just come out of a very long hibernation. Still, his loneliness had overcome his taste for children.

"I promise that I won't eat you, instead I will show you how I paint the skies. I am an old serpent now, I wish to sleep in the arms of Baiame."

The boys walked towards Yalunga without fear, seeing the tears in his great eyes.

"How old are you? Oh, great Yalunga," said Karangi.

"I think I am ten thousand years old; from the beginning of the earth I came - before the sky was lit and the stars in the heavens. I committed an offence by eating one of the first of your tribe. Baiame, Great Spirit, he punished me; told me I could stay beneath the earth forever or be useful and paint the skies with colours - rainbow colours during the rainy season. Of course I said I would paint the skies!"

"Are you serpent or spirit?" The boys asked the old Yalunga.

"I was a serpent as you know my clan. Baiame changed my form to one of spirit. I am a shape-shifter and can take any form for good deeds. Watch and learn, children." Yalunga stood on his great tail and he became a ghost gum tree, speaking from a great height as his leaves looked down at the children.

"I must hurry, I can only exist in the rain." Yalunga came down to the flowing waterfall and created beautiful, crystal, colours for the boys to wonder at.

"Thank you, dear Yalunga - tonight we will dance for you," said the boys.

Yalunga had tears in his old eyes as he curled up in a large cave above the waterfall.

"Thank you dear children, I must sleep now, the cave will protect my colours from the sunlight until it rains again."

As the boys watched Yalunga and heard him snoring, his colours turned to muddy-brown. Still the rainbow arced the skies.

A deep voice spoke to the children and they were frightened. The voice came from the mountains, hills, plains, and skies.

"You must return to your baanya, your family search for you - they know the Rainbow Serpent will eat you!" Great Spirit smiled to himself.

"Oh, Great Spirit we meant no harm and Yalunga said he wouldn't eat us. He is very old and wants to come to you and find his dreaming forever."

Baiame thought about Yalunga and he decided it was time for the old serpent to come home.

"Watch Yalunga, you naughty boys from the Aranda tribe," Baiame gathered the sleeping form of Yalunga in his arms as the sun broke the clouds. In Yalunga's place, a small diamond-backed, rock-python slithered away to find cover.

"We must go home now, brother. Tonight we will tell our people about Yalunga and call the elders to gather for a special dance to honour the Rainbow Serpent that sleeps in the arms of Baiame, Great Spirit." The boys ran down the dirt track towards their baanya.

Yalunga slept in the mountains - he slept the sleep of the dead. However, his form is always visible during the rains - he colours the skies for all to see.